


Darkness and Order

by wyr_d



Series: Darkness and Order [1]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventures In Space, After the events that happened in TFA, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Disguise, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, M/M, Sarcastic idiots, Save them, Slow Burn, Snark, Undercover Missions, huxcentric, it's kylo so ofc there is angst, mostly from Hux's POV, they are too stubborn for their own good
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-19
Updated: 2016-04-03
Packaged: 2018-05-27 14:04:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 21,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6287518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wyr_d/pseuds/wyr_d
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Darkness and order,<br/>Together we could be unbeatable"</p><p>Hux and Kylo Ren are polar opposites. It is a simple fact known to most that work alongside them and Hux has long since come to terms with this observation. All he ever needed to do was tolerate Kylo for the brief minutes or hours they spent together and when you command a starship the size of a city state it was easy to escape the presence of the hulking man. It's harder to avoid him when you are both on a cramped ship sent across the galaxy to hell knows where on the orders of the Supreme Leader. </p><p>Being sent on intelligence gathering missions with the volatile Knight of Ren was never a career option Hux would've imagined himself accepting, but then again he never would have imagined his life's work would explode into space dust. So now Hux must work alongside the annoying Knight day in and day out and all the while he cannot help but ponder: how the hell did he end up in a situation like this?</p><p>[[ rated M for later stuff ]]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Darkness and Order

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _He could not help but wonder how the hell he had ended up in a situation like this._

Hux would regard himself as an orderly man – someone who kept things in neat mental array. Everything gleaming and perfectly polished like he had some obsessive impulse when it came to meticulousness and he found no fault in that. Order, respect, loyalty, and strength all fell hand in hand in his carefully compartmentalized mind. There had been nothing else the General knew other than the cold touch of the emotionless fingers of military belief and that had never particularly bothered him.

Not until now.

The chaotic disarray of his mental state caused him to feel nauseous as if he himself was coming undone in this expansive mess that sprawled before him. In this moment, he felt his military training lacking and that was something he never thought he’d admit. While he had seen worlds ripped apart, armies crushed into submission, and the destruction of whole systems, they had been viewed from a safe distance – a place of observation. He had usually been the composer of the song of destruction that was war. Back in the past, there had been a time he had been the muse of such ordered notes – dancing to the tune of those set above him. He had been quick to move above that – he much preferred the position of conductor.

Never, in all his years of life, had he been in the midst of such cacophonous battle. The sounds around him were jarring and volatile causing his face to draw into a well-practised sneer.  Why did he have to be here again? A low growl of something that was not entirely human sounded near him and he barely had a chance to dodge out of the way of a Weequay pirate’s dead body as it came hurling at him by some unknown force.

He scowled at the unknown force otherwise known as Kylo Ren. The dark jedi’s lips were curled into an angry sneer as he forcefully flung yet another enemy into the expanse of sand Hux had been staring off into. Obviously Kylo had been the source of the unholy growling noise as his distaste was evident on his pale face. He brushed past Hux on his way aboard the ship the General had been so firmly guarding. Not that he had been asked to guard it, more so he had been rather reluctant to join his comrade into battle – as it seems Kylo had noticed and was frustrated by it.

“Make yourself useful and start this damned ship.” The knight sneered as he stomped past, blaster fire swirling around him as it kept conveniently missing him.

The General sighed as he followed the imposing man into the bowls of their ship and didn’t turn to watch the launch ramp pull closed. Bullets pinged uselessly against the hull of the ship as Hux quickly slid into the pilot’s seat, ignoring the Knight of Ren as he went about dealing with hell knows what he acquired on this damned planet. As he steered the ship off the planet’s surface, he could not help but wonder how the hell he had ended up in a situation like this.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ [ .o0o. ] ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

The brown eyes that looked up at him were devoid of emotion almost to such an extent Hux felt the inklings of fear twitch across his spine. Hux had been trained to not feel fear – it was an excessive emotion that was not needed. But the heavy weight of it on his back was unlike any fear he had been trained to ignore. It was almost a frantic sort of protective fear. The kind that prompted him to reach out to the boy. He quashed it quickly before it could be examined or truly detected by his mind.

“You are him then?” Hux asked, his voice gentler than he had intended it to be. The boy said nothing, but continued to stare. The blood and grime on his black robes made them look less black and more maroon, but Hux swallowed the questions he felt leaping up his throat. After a few seconds of brown eyes on sea green, the boy nodded vaguely and stepped a bit closer to Hux.

Hux nodded sharply and turned, hoping the boy took the cue to follow him as he strutted up the ramps of the old _Lambda_ -class shuttle he called his own. He breathed a small sigh of relief when the boy followed silently behind the Lieutenant. Many questions seemed to dance across Hux’s mind at once and many of them involved: “who is this boy?” More than anything he wanted to know why he, a fledgling of a Lieutenant, had been asked to escort this boy to the Supreme Leader’s base.

He had been told this mission was special, but he had just thought he was picking up another ally of the growing new Imperial Order. He had done diplomatic missions before, as it seemed he had a talent for them or so he was told by his father and many other higher ups. But never had he been ordered to do a human pick-up mission of this sort. Quickly, he dispelled his thoughts once again as it was not his position to question the orders given to him by his superiors.

The boy said nothing as he prepped the shuttle for takeoff and Hux found the boy were he had left him in the hallway in front of the cockpit. His eyes were not focusing on anything in particular but rather darting around the small, dark shuttle with some sort of fervour. Hux swallowed hard and stared down his nose at this boy who was only a little bit shorter than him. This did not look right at all.

He did not know this boy’s age, but he did not look older than sixteen or seventeen and the glassy look of his eyes caused Hux to worry. This boy was being taken to the Supreme Leader. Who was he? He looked unfit to be any sort of warrior. What exactly was his value? _Well, obviously his value is high as the Supreme Leader wants him_ , Hux’s mind whispers.

With a small sigh, Hux gripped the boys shoulder and pulled him to the small bathroom area off of his quarters. The boy did not protest to being moved about and only seemed to care when Hux pushed him into the refresher. His brown eyes had finally come to life then. A small spark of recognition dawned on him and Hux thanked whatever omnipotent being that was out there that the boy had come back to himself. Hux raise a gentle eyebrow at the boy who was now trying to make sense of him.

“Lieutenant Hux, at your service. I am to be escorting you to the Supreme Leader. We should be arriving within the next cycle.” Hux stated, giving the man a small nod. He was unsure what the boy’s rank was or whether he was above or below him, but he decided using formalities would not hurt.

The boy blinked at him, but he registered Hux’s words and he could see realization dawning in his eyes. He glanced at the refresher he was standing in and then back at Hux. As it seemed, this boy was not going to speak. Letting another small sigh escape him, Hux gestured to the refresher and nodded at the boy.

“You can use this to clean yourself up and make yourself presentable before you visit the Supreme Leader.” Hux stated.

A curt nod was the only sign the boy gave him hinting to his understanding of the situation. Without further ado, Hux stepped out of the bathroom and returned to the pilot seat. As he had predicted, the hyperspace codes had been automatically entered into his shuttle while he had been helping his passenger and they had already made the jump to light speed.

Of course, Hux had no idea where the Supreme Leader’s base was so he had expected something like this to happen. This had not been the first occasion his destination hadn’t been determined by him and at first it had irked him, but by now he had come to terms with it. For the duration of the trip Hux busied himself by reading his usual collection of Imperial Military information on his datapad and did so with almost no distractions. His passenger had joined him silently in the cockpit; taking refuge in the usually empty co-pilot’s seat.

The boy uttered no words for the duration of the trip and instead busied himself by examining the cockpit thoroughly. Hux knew the boy’s eyes had rested on him at some point and ended up staying there. This did not distract the young Lieutenant from his reading though. Once he was absorbed in Imperial Military history it was hard to disengage him unless you were someone with the weight of prestige or rank. At some point, the boy had started reading over Hux’s shoulder and Hux felt the gentle brush of breath on his ear as his passenger moved closer to get a better view of Hux’s datapad screen.

The beeping of the ship announcing they were coming out of hyperspace is what snapped Hux out of his reading reverie. He felt a small pang of exhaustion realizing he hadn’t slept. Pressing the palms of his hands to his eyes, he cleared his feelings and soothed the tingling of exhaustion that assaulted his sea green eyes. His passenger moved away from Hux when the information regarding Imperial Military history was removed from the datapad screen as the tool was turned off.

With practiced precision, Hux navigated the shuttle to land on the rocky surface of the unknown planet right where he had been previously instructed to. The low cropping of rock truly had stood out like his superior had informed him and he settled the white ship on the top of the rock with ease. Once the ship was secure, Hux stood and now faced the boy he had been told to pick up; the mute boy who watched him with his wide brown eyes. The boy’s eyes were clear and were watching Hux for something and Hux figured the boy needed some information on where he was to go.

“You are to disembark the ship and find the Supreme Leader.” Hux stated, unable to offer more information than that.

In truth, the Lieutenant hadn’t been given any more information than that. His superior had told him to pick up the boy, drop him off at the Supreme Leader’s base, and the boy would be able to find the Supreme Leader from there. Of course, Hux hadn’t questioned his superior’s words, but he remembered the small question of how was this boy supposed to find the Supreme Leader scratching at the back of his mind like an itch. Like a good soldier, he didn’t voice his uncertainties.

Instead of being frustrated or questioning Hux or _damn speaking at all_ , the boy just nodded understandingly and made his way towards the shuttle’s ramp. Hux felt the edges of his own heart soften a little at the sight of this lone boy framed against the wasteland of rock and wind in front of him as he started to move his way down the boarding ramp. In a moment of rashness, he called after him – telling him to stop his disembarking for one quick second. The boy complied and watched as Hux disappeared within the bowels of the ship and returned within a few seconds – something tucked in his hands.

“Here, it’s a bit worn, but you seemed to like it…” Hux stated, feeling the small heat of embarrassment tickle the base of his neck. He was sure that under his collar there was a slow spread of blush that usually surfaced when he felt awkward. Hux pressed a worn book version of the Imperial Military history into the boy’s hands. It was his only copy and he had treasured it greatly when he had snuck it from his father’s study years ago, but now he had the digital copy and had left the dog-eared book in the bottom of his officer’s trunk – abandoned and unused.

The boy was obviously startled by this gesture and blinked at Hux for a second before quietly taking the book – inclining his head slightly as a sign of thanks. Hux just nodded stiffly, slipping back into his military persona with ease. He had expected the boy to leave instantly after their small exchange, but rather than vacating the shuttle ramp immediately, the boy paused and reached a rather large hand up to pat the Lieutenant on the head affectionately.

“We will meet again.” He stated with firmness; finally speaking for the first time. “Because you are order and I am darkness, and together we could be unbeatable.”

The boy said nothing more before he finished his trek down the ramp and walked into the wasteland before him with confidence – wind laying waste to his black hair. The black robes he wore were still bloody and dirty, but he seemed to wear them with all the pride in the world. Hux was startled, but had little time to react because as he came back to his senses the boy had vanished; gone with only the howling wind and the dust remaining. Hux stood pondering the boys words quietly, wondering who that boy exactly was. He did not even know his name for kriffs sake.

As the Lieutenant strode back into his ship and closed the shuttle ramp as he went, he couldn’t help but wonder at the boy’s words and did not realize how they would haunt his dreams for years to come.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ [ .o0o. ] ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Major Hux adjusted the folds of his blue First Order uniform feeling the slightest bit awkward. He still was not used to the gaudy blue that announced his rank and swallowed heavily before placing his command cap atop his amber hair. For the fifth time today the man adjusted the stripe that announced his rank as Major. With the smallest of sighs he stepped out of his quarters and made his way down the vast hallways that made the _Imperial I_ -class star destroyer he was currently stationed on. He had been on the ship for a year now, but he still could not stop the small flicker of annoyance he felt when he viewed the rather outdated ship.

The _Imperial I_ -class star destroyer, while being a marvel of the Empire’s age, was slowly falling by the wayside as newer tech was slowly being rolled off the assembly lines across the galaxy. Despite this, the Admiral he served viewed the ship with great fondness and some part of Hux respected the man for this. Admiral Saedrin was a cunning man with immense battle prowess and the young Major found everyday interesting while serving under the wizened commander.

Hux strutted onto the bridge, head held high, as he took his place beside the tall, blond haired man. Admiral Saedrin did not turn instantly, but rather he examined the mash of stars that flew past as they hurtled through hyperspace for a few more minutes before inclining his head in Hux’s direction. At the present, Hux shared command with this older man and both of them were well aware what this co-commandership hinted to. Admiral Saedrin was aware that he was going to be relieved of service in the next year, but he did not seem particularly bothered by that.

He took to training his replacement, Hux, with the keen efficiency that was flaunted by the First Order. The older man knew his era was with the Empire and the Imperial order, not with the First Order – the new order that announced the dawning of a new Imperial age. He had been pulled out of a quiet sort of retirement that involved lots of paperwork regarding the navy to command this slowly decaying Imperial ship and Hux knew the Admiral was slightly looking forward to settling down. Hux distinctly remembered his first meeting with the taller man.

He had looked Hux square in the eyes – sea green meeting grey blue – and informed Hux he knew exactly why he was here. The young Major had been startled, but then had come to respect the man who was looking at the end of his career straight in the eye and telling him he would train him to be, the quote, “best damned admiral” that this new age was going to see. The Admiral was a man of more emotion than Hux had expected and was surprised that there was even a man in the military with this level of openness. He figured no one could remove Admiral Saedrin despite his expressive emotion because the man had too much prowess that he could not be ignored – no one could doubt his military abilities, not even the stuffiest of Generals.

“Did you rest well Major?” the Admiral asked, pale blond eyebrow raising slightly as he turned his full attention onto the ginger man beside him.

“Yes, sir.” Hux responded, standing straighter as he met his gaze. The Admiral shook his head slightly at Hux’s stiffness and a gentle, almost fatherly, smile touched the corners of the Admiral’s mouth slightly.

“No need to be so stiff boy. I am not going to eat your head off.”

“Of course sir, if you did that how I would I be able to replace you.”

The Admiral chuckled to himself slightly – a deep low sound that caused some of the staff to glance up – at the sarcasm that easily slipped into the Major’s voice. The faint outline of a smirk dusted Hux’s expression as the tension slowly melted from his posture. The gentle banter between the Major and the Admiral was the way the two seemed to connect and Hux was quite alright with that. Sarcasm seemed to come naturally to him and the Admiral rather enjoyed Hux’s witty comments.

“Yes indeed, if you lost your head how ever would I train a replacement who could meet my standards.”

Hux warmed to the compliment veiled behind the teasing words. The Major had quickly learned this was the way the Admiral showed his affection and his compliments were usually laced with a soft sort of sarcasm. A silence descended as the shipped pulled out of hyperspace and the two men examined the planet they were slowly drifting towards. It was clouded with the telltale signs of battle as fellow Imperial cruisers were working relentlessly to take control of the planet. From the records Hux had read, the planet held natural resources that would greatly benefit the Order’s future goals and they were to assist the currently deployed fleets in successfully acquiring the planet and claiming it as theirs.

“Show time.” The Admiral whispered under his breath as a feral smile took root in his wizened features – grey blue eyes twinkling with excitement. Hux stretched his hands against the fabric of the gloves he wore and felt a tremor of excitement laced with nervousness shoot through him. He always felt it before they engaged in a battle. Today, it was Hux’s turn to show off his skills as the Admiral was going to let the young Major pull all the strings. It was his time to shine and he had to fold his hands behind his back to not let the anxiousness consume him; he was anxious to show his skills just as much as he was anxious to not fail.

The battle seemed to move by in a blur. Hux’s orders were met swiftly and executed with deadly precision that made him stem with pride. He felt drunk on the adrenaline and the control – the glorious control. The Admiral had voiced only one complaint and that had been when he had wished to send his second wave of TIE fighters directly into the center fold of the battle. Using his years of experience, the Admiral tweaked Hux’s plan slightly – informing him that this new way would create less deaths and be just as effective. At first, Hux had been miffed – it was hard to relinquish the power he had been given – but in the end he had seen the Admiral’s point and made note of it.

“The less deaths of your own men the better.” The Admiral had stated, eyes fixed on the battle unfolding before him rather than on the young Major who was staring at him so intently. “It is not effective in the least to cause deaths when deaths could be avoided.”

He had turned to face Hux then, his face highlighted by the color of the blaster fire outside the transparisteel in front of them. Hux had nodded after a few seconds of silence. It had been a stiff nod that showed his reluctance, but at least he had yielded. In the end, they had emerged victorious from the battle. The planet had bowed to their whims and Hux felt pride as he stood before the holos of the fellow Admirals and the representative from the planet below. He had watched the surrender go just as protocol deemed and once the planet had been secured the Admiral and the Major were travelling through space yet again – a new destination punched into the hyperspace codes. Only when everything had fallen quiet yet again did the Admiral choose to speak.

“So Major Hux, how did you like your first solo battle?” the man asked, eyes resting on the Major’s face as he stared out at the hyperspace kaleidoscope in front of them.

“It was not completely done alone.” Hux stated, his voice icy. The Admiral sighed.

“You are still learning Major.” the Admiral stated, voice hard. “Because I stepped in at one point does not make you a failure.”

Hux relaxed slightly and let out the smallest of sighs that sounded more like a whisper against the hum of the engines – despite it being the loudest sigh he would allow himself to have.

“I know, I just--” He didn’t finished his statement, rather he let it hang in midair as his eyes cut across to look at the Admiral who was watching him. His face was schooled into a neutral expression, but Hux could see the flickers of worry laced there. Admiral Saedrin was well acquainted with Hux’s father; he knew about the man’s meticulous insanity around perfection and he had not been startled to find it ingrained into his young son. At one point, the Admiral had bluntly stated that Hux needed to stop with his intense perfectionism. He remembered that conversation.

Never in his life had he ever been confronted by a man who disagreed with his father’s teachings. Well, it was unfair to say that Admiral Saedrin disagreed with Hux Senior’s thoughts, but he did have qualms with certain things – particularly the perfectionism. Yes, succeeding was important – especially in the Order – but there had to be some room for failure while learning and that was Admiral Saedrin’s firm belief. The Admiral had been forthright in stating that when he corrected Hux’s work it did not mean he was disappointed in him, it was just that Hux lacked the knowledge and precedence that the Admiral had. No matter how much training you had, it was hard to have more battle knowledge as a fresh faced Major than an Admiral who had lived through various naval wars.

“Don’t be hard on yourself boy, you did a bang up job for your first solo battle. You made essentially no mistakes and dealt with everything splendidly.”

The bluntness almost made Hux stagger under the weight of it. He had never been praised so openly by any superior and as it seemed the Admiral knew this because he was watching Hux sway slightly with one eyebrow raised and a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. He loosed a small bark of laughter as he clapped the swaying man on the back with good cheer.

“You did much better than I ever did on my first run.” the Admiral stated with a sage nod. It was Hux’s turn to raise an eyebrow.

“How poorly did you do?” Hux asked curiously. The older man snorted slightly and stroked his chin thoughtfully.

“I almost lost my cruiser. My superiors were furious, but I learned fast and, well, I didn’t lose my head.” The man smirked wryly as he noticed Hux’s look of shock. Usually, Hux had his emotions in check, but right now it was hard not to gawk at the older man in front of him. He could not believe this man, who was now one of the smartest Admirals the First Order had, had almost lost his ship in his first battle.

“How did you walk away from that with your badge and _alive_?” Hux hissed, trying to repress his emotions once again. The older man shrugged gracefully.

“They were frustrated quite profusely, but they realized my talents. Not many newly minted Admirals could get out of a situation that sticky alive and with half of their crew still intact.”

“Wow.” Hux breathed. He could not help but view the older man in a whole new light. Not many men could come out of situations like that alive nor would many men speak of them so easily. “So is that why you are so careful with losses?”

Saedrin nodded sharply.

“Excess death doesn’t sit well with me I would say.” The Admiral admitted, he examined the Major silently for a couple of seconds before continuing. “We each need some sort of paradigms to cling to beyond the ones fed to us by the Order we stand for. It motivates us. I assume you have something you hold to other than the mantras the Academy has already given you.”

Hux was silent under the Admiral’s scrutiny as the gears in his mind whirred; trying to come up with a sufficient answer to the Admiral’s obvious question. He sifted through the layers of his thoughts until something surfaced. That something was old and hidden deep within the recesses of Hux’s mind and he pulled it forward with zeal – feeling his own consciousness stir against it confidently. It had always been a part of him, nestled deep below the surface of his constantly broadcasted military beliefs.

“I wish to bring order to this darkness.” the Major stated, straightening and gripping the hands he held behind his back closer. “I guess you could say that is my prerogative; a battle orchestrated with perfect and controlled _order_.”

His tongue danced across the word order as if it was some holy thing – reverend and glorified. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see the Admiral nodding in agreement with his statements.

“A fine prerogative at that; suits you.” The older man said with a wry smile and Hux tipped his head slightly in Saedrin’s direction to show his thanks. Both men fell into comfortable silence as they continued to stare out towards the marbling of hyperspace before them. Hux ran the words over and over in his mind like some sort of soothing mantra. He nodded mentally to himself, pleased.

Order into darkness; a fine mission indeed.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ [ .o0o. ] ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Hux marvelled at the sight of the vast ship he was staring at. It was beautiful and it dazzled him with its apparent beauty. He wanted to pause this painful bureaucracy just to reach out and stroke the smooth metal of the hull, but alas the bureaucracy before him continued and his stayed in his position. The Admiral beside him was babbling nonstop about something to do with the marvel of this age’s machinery and tech and it downright bored the General.

General Hux stared at that shorter and more rotund man down his nose and felt a sneer settling onto his features. The fellow officers, who stood around the portly man listening aptly, caused Hux to feel uncomfortable in the slightest – he always hated social events. The night was rather alive with people milling about in the hanger of this glorious ship. It was the christening of the first _Resurgent_ -class ship they had constructed and the event seemed more focused on the (rather cheap) champagne and hors d’oeuvres being served than the ship itself. Well, there was also a focus on pompous windbags who thought their words were worth something.

Hux could not help but feel a scowl settle onto his features as he stared down the fifteenth, at least, pompous windbag of a man he had to deal with – no wonder there was champagne. Maybe he could get a little drunk to ease the pain of this blatant peacocking. As he nursed his champagne flute, he realized a man had come to stand beside him and he glanced at the older man who had managed to slip into his peripheral vision. The meeting of their eyes must’ve made the man think it was okay to address him because he launched into what was a very stiff and obviously practiced sort of speech.

“General Hux, glad to see you are doing well. I am sorry to hear about your father’s passing.” The man simpered without a shred of remorse. Hux stared at the man and could not help but wonder what was the closest thing to him he could use to kill himself in the least painful way. The blaster on his belt would probably be a good option, but there was a man near him with a martini and the toothpick skewing the olive that clung to edge of the glass seemed like an equally good option at the present. Or maybe, he could just shoot this annoying man in front of him between the eyes and call it a day.

He frowned to himself mentally, no if he did that it would ruin his reputation and this man was not worth ruining his reputation over. Frankly, listening to this man suck up was a better option than stopping his own heart – at least for now. So rather than reaching for his gun, he forced his expression into one that didn’t announce his wish to kill the man before him.

“We were all sorry to hear of his passing I suppose. Commandant Hux was such an asset to the Order.” Hux took a sip of his champagne to hide his wish to choke on his own words. The only thing this nameless man and he had in common was his lack of remorse for his father’s death. Commandment Hux had been a man strong in his belief of perfection and his abilities to produce strong troops, but he had never been a good father. Hux had a collection of childhood memories that could only be described as awful. The man seemed to open his mouth to talk again, but any words he was going to weave were cut off by someone calling his name loudly.

“General Hux!” the voice boomed and Hux almost sighed with relief. The voice was familiar and he turned to the view of the former Admiral Saedrin moving towards him with relentless speed despite his age. He silently thanked the man for his timing and offering him a means to escape from this dreadfully grating officer who had been trying to plaster him with false condolences

“Admiral Saedrin.” Hux greeted, meeting the gleeful eyes of his former superior. A man was following the Admiral and Hux recognized the man as the Admiral’s nephew. He was a young man who had been climbing the ranks rather swiftly, much like Hux had done – he attributed the nephew’s success to his relation to the Admiral.

“I hope you have been doing well.” The older man stated with a low chuckle. “I would say you are, already a General so soon; you’ve certainly been working hard.”

“I have been working rather hard indeed.” Hux stated with a sharp nod at the man and felt his sense of nervousness dissipate as the officer who had been trying to strike up conversation with him drifted off somewhere else – probably to appeal to another man of high standing.

“I am glad to hear it. If only my nephew could reach your level.” The Admiral stated, clapping the blond boy beside him on the shoulder. The young blond narrowed his eyes slightly at his uncle, annoyance leaping about inside them, but rather than act on it he snuffed it out and just shrugged slightly and stood up straighter.

“I’d rather just work towards the rank of Admiral.” the young man stated firmly. His uncle chuckled once again and shook his head slightly.

“He just wants to be like me.”

The smirk that danced across the nephew’s lips upon hearing his uncle’s statement was wry and the expression was mirrored by the Admiral – it was then that Hux could see the family resemblance.

“I am surprised you showed up.” Hux stated, breaking up the small family moment.

“I may be retired, but they cannot get rid of me yet.” The Admiral stated firmly. His eyes glittered with amusement despite his reserved expression.

“Hmm, well you do seem like the type who doesn’t go down without a fight.” Hux confirmed as he took a sip of his champagne.

“Right you are.” The older man agreed. His attention was then turned upon the dazzling ship in front of them. “Quite the beast isn’t she?”

“Quite, I wonder who is going to have command of her.” Hux replied, eyes devouring the ship quietly. Every time he looked upon the ship he could not help but feel something like desire spread outward from his chest. This was the first time he had ever wanted something so much it was like a song in his blood. Somewhere deep down he was amused at how his first love was a ship.

“Well, I have heard some speculation about that.” The older man stated, glancing over at Hux, his eyes leaving the ship for a split second. “I’ve been told a certain General is to get the privilege of running this ship.”

“Do tell.” Hux prompted, sipping his champagne again.

“A certain _young_ General.”

Now it was Hux’s turn to glance at the Admiral.

“You aren’t insinuating that--”

“Yes, I am insinuating exactly that.”

Hux balked at the older man.

“You aren’t serious.”

“Indeed I am.”

Twinkling grey eyes met sea green and Hux could not help but feel a hungry sort of excitement dance through his body and he licked his lips without thinking. He sharply returned his gaze to the marvellous expanse of metal and power.

“It cannot be.” He breathed.

“I do not lie.” The Admiral stated quietly; only for Hux to hear. “In truth, I was handed this information this morning. I am to present the ship to you at the end of this evening; that is the true reason I am here.”

Hux glanced at the Admiral slyly.

“Well, you’ve ruined the surprise Admiral.” Hux whispered back.

“You’ve never liked surprises.” The Admiral responded with a snort, eyes sliding in Hux’s direction to share a conspiring smirk. Hux chuckled slightly and took a sip of champagne.

“You know me so well.”

The older man did not respond, but Hux could almost sense the contentedness that radiated off of Admiral Saedrin. They stood in silence for a few minutes before the Admiral slipped away to leave Hux alone in his thoughts. As the Admiral left to track down wherever his nephew had escaped to, Hux’s eyes danced across the hull of the beautiful ship – _his_ ship. He stood pondering over what would be a suitable name for a ship this large and this stunning. He took another sip of champagne as he considered his naming options.

It came to him quickly; _Finalizer,_ that would be its name. He smirked over the rim of his champagne flute and mental repeated the word in his head. It was perfect. _Finalizer_ , the ship that would cut through the disorder in this darkness. _Yes_ , he thought to himself, _perfect_.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ [ .o0o. ] ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

The only time Hux would permit himself to smile was when everything was moving perfectly in orchestrated precision. The almost non-existent hum of machinery danced around the command bridge of the _Finalizer_ and, as the General clasped his hands behind his back proudly, he let a feral smile curl at the edges of his mouth. If anyone had glanced over at him in this moment, they would have assumed the man was sneering in an odd sort of way, but only he would know he was expressing his pleasure.

His lips pulled taunt against his teeth for a matter of seconds before dropping back into their usual place – a light frown that could darken within a split second. He was immensely proud of the _Finalizer_. His pride and joy. Years of work resided in this ship just as years of work would soon reside in his latest project. The construction on Starkiller base had been making splendid progress and Hux could only puff with pride as he watched his life’s work unfold marvellously. His feeling of joy was short lived as he spotted the telltale signs of an _Upsilon_ -class shuttle making its way towards his ship, tie fighters forming around it in the loose convoy.

The hands clenched behind his back tightened with a sort of disgust he did not want to process at the present moment lest it color his expression. His frown was now dipping towards the deadly level as he turned on a heel and surrendered the command of the bridge to his second in command. He had to greet the convoy that was cruising towards him at an almost lazy pace and his mood soured at the potential headache he was going to have once this was all over.

The _Upsilon_ -class shuttle signified one thing: Kylo Ren had returned.

Kylo Ren, the man he had to work alongside and the man who shared half of his commanding glory. Hux sneered. He despised how he had to share his power with the unruly and chaotic Knight of Ren. It was not as if the Knight had climbed through the ranks of the First Order with only his prowess and wit, no, the title was just flung into the Knight’s lap like it was worth less than the cheapest brand of Corellian wine. They had been working together for less than a half a year and Hux already despised the imposing Knight. It did not help matters that Hux and the Knight were practically oil and water.

While Hux was the embodiment of the Order and its ideals of cool detachment and ordered precision, Kylo Ren was the embodiment of the sith with his chaotic rage and dangerous darkness and everyone was aware how _well_ those paradigms collided. There had been enough displays of rage and sharp remarks flung over war planning or in high pressure situations that the _Finalizer_ staff had gotten used to the General and the Knight’s exchanges. It took intense amounts of effort for both men to agree on anything; even pointless things like which trooper squadron was to be deployed first caused Hux and Kylo to reach for each other’s throats.

Personally, Hux found it vexing. He would prefer if the Knight would stop disagreeing with his ideas so vehemently and at least give the older man a chance to prove his points. Usually Hux’s arguments were cut down just as swiftly as Ren’s enemies were and the General couldn’t help but wonder if the Knight purposely was trying to shut him down. One thing was for sure, Hux was not scared by Kylo Ren and the day he was afraid of the hulking and vengeful Knight would be the day he breathed his last breath. Sometimes, with the Knight around, he wondered if that day was creeping closer than he first thought.

His perfectly polished boots hit the flight deck in perfect rhythm as he made his way through the small cluster of Stormtroopers that awaited Ren’s arrival. Honestly, Hux figured these men could be doing much more productive things and that there didn’t need to be a small smattering of them around to greet the Knight whenever he returned from god knows where, but he was complacent with formalities and the sight of them that greeted the volatile man, who would step off the shuttle, always gave him a sense of pleasure. Not that Kylo really showed his pleasure, more than anything Hux was just reading the Knight’s movements, but it was evident that he felt some sort of pleasure at the sight of Stormtroopers awaiting him as if he was some powerful being worth respect.

Another sneer passed across the General’s features as his pace finally slowed once he reached his position directly in front of where the landing ramp would eventually drop. Kylo Ren may be a powerful being, but respect was certainly not something he cultivated. Fear was the driving factor behind any shred of respect he got. No one wished to cross the tall man who called himself Kylo Ren – especially the expendables.

With a popping sort of hiss, the landing ramp of the _Upsilon_ -class shuttle opened revealing a cloaked figure and a small smattering of troops that followed behind him looking rather beaten and exhausted. The General schooled his features into a neutral expression and bowed slightly as the Knight paused before him.

“Welcome back Lord Ren.”

His words were perfectly measured and devoid of emotion as he stared up into the emotionless mask before him – his own expression mirrored in the reflective black surface.

“General.” The Knight said impassively and then continued his movement. Following alongside the Knight, the General kept up with the man’s long strides and felt a small prick of pride as he was able to both keep his military stride and pace with Knight.

“I am assuming everything went as planned?” the General asked, his tone clipped. That earned him a snarl from the Knight and through the voice decoder the man wore, it came out sounding more garbled and robotic than it probably was intended too. This was an obvious answer in Kylo speak meaning no, the mission did not go as planned. The General just made a slight harrumphing noise and turned his attention back to keeping his pace steady. After a few minutes of silence, the Knight finally decided he’d bless the General by using his words.

“The prisoner will talk and then I will be able to fulfill my mission.” Ren stated harshly.

“So you captured someone then?” The General raised one perfectly groomed, amber eyebrow at the Knight. “How fortuitous, too bad you couldn’t just find the location of the shrine on the first go.”

There was a sense of thinly veiled annoyance in Hux’s tone. He really wondered why anyone would regard Kylo Ren as an asset to the First Order. The Knight had failed on so many occasions if he had been a trooper he surely would have been sent in for reconditioning by now. Hux paused that train of thought. Frankly, Kylo Ren would have been ousted from the program long ago due to his talent at being such a rage filled human being – that is if he even was human. Satisfied with the amendment to his previous thoughts, the General waited for the acerbic response from the Knight that was surely to come.

“Maybe if I had been given a proper group of Stormtroopers then maybe my plans wouldn’t have ended in failure.” The Knight responded angrily.

Hux made a tsking noise before responding.

“Don’t blame the troops Lord Ren. Their training is impeccable and _I_ can vouch for that.” The General retorted.

“Maybe your training isn’t as masterful as you so like to believe.”

Hux’s eyes flashed dangerously, but his expression did not reveal his anger – his face still schooled in a flawless mask.

“Or maybe your skills aren’t as sharpened as you so like to believe.” The General parroted the Knight’s words back to him and watched as the Knight stiffened from evident rage. A gleam of success twinkled in the General’s eyes as he let himself have the smallest smirk at Kylo’s expense.

“I believe my skills in darkness are perfectly attuned.” The Knight stated, his metallic voice coloring with the slightest bits of rage.

“Hmm, these skills in darkness that continue to fail?”

“My skills in darkness are just as strong as your skills in order General.” Ren stated, masked head turning in the General’s direction; eyes boring holes in the ginger man despite being secluded by transparisteel holoplates. A delicate eyebrow rose on the General’s pale face as he regarded the Knight, meeting his lifeless gaze.

“Then I must sharpen my skills as they evidently lacking in some way.” The General remarked sarcastically. The combination of words the Knight spoke brought a sense of déjà vu over the General, but he attributed it to all the foolish statements he’d heard the Knight utter in the past. A small silence followed before the General chose to speak again.

“Just try not to kill the man before you glean the information this time.” The General stated rather absentmindedly, the caring he tried to force earlier was washing away with his intense indifference to Kylo’s goals – it was not as if they really meshed with the Order’s goals. If Hux could have it his way he would be back in the Unknown Regions where Starkiller awaited. He did not like leaving his project behind, attended to by people he barely knew – he wondered if this was how people felt towards children; he quickly shrugged that thought off before it had the ability to fully formalize in his head.

He realized the Knight was watching him with something like pensive annoyance and the General huffed before inclining his head slightly in the Knight’s direction. Hux moved to talk, but the sound of a metallic voice cut him off.

“Don’t worry General. I won’t fail you.” The Knight stated, sarcasm practically dripped from the words that hung in the air around them.

This earned the Knight a scowl from Hux and the deepest frown he allowed himself to have. The Knight inclined his head slightly – his way of showing his victory over this small verbal battle.

“I am glad to know I can count on you _Lord Ren_.”  Hux stated with acidity, lacing the words with as much poison and sarcasm as he possible could. He felt victory bloom across his chest as the Knight stiffened slightly, rage coiling his muscles into something strong and stiff. “Well, I won’t keep you from your interrogation; I know how much you enjoy those.”

The Knight didn’t give Hux a response, instead he just watched the General for a few seconds before turning and stalking off in the direction of the interrogation chambers. The older man smirked to himself yet again as he watched the Knight go before returning to his brisk military pace towards the bridge. As he returned to the comfortable sounds of the life on the bridge, Hux could not help but let out the faintest of sighs. A small headache fluttered against the back of his forehead, but he let the mundane familiarity of the bridge wash over him until he could feel nothing and returned to the imposing General he was truly meant to be.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ [ .o0o. ] ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

In the cold security of his quarters Hux placed his hands on his temples and massaged his forehead softly feeling the frustration of today seep out of his bones. It had been a hellish day to say the least. The deserter, the escaped prisoner, and the droid that got away. He was dancing on a dangerous edge at this point. He knew these failures could easily add up to something worse in the future and something in his bones was screaming at that exact thought. Premonitions be damned, the fall out of today’s events were certainly irksome. General Hux did not fail. His troops didn’t fail. Failure was Kylo Ren’s job. But today, one of his troops had betrayed the Order. He hissed at the memory and felt the frustration welling up again.

He did his best to calm it, refusing to let it consume him like it did a certain Knight. Hux was a man of order, a man of control. Never would he let petty emotions get to him. He steeled his will to the mantras of control reverberating around his mind and felt the ice calm surge around him once again. He’d pull through this failure once he returned to his pride and joy: Starkiller. He was anxious to leave this system behind and return to the superweapon.

A loud and heavy knock on his door caused his peaceful thoughts to shatter like glass. He gritted his teeth and pretended he hadn’t heard the noises. There was only one person who would search him out at this time without using a commlink to contact him first. _Kylo Ren_ , his mind whispered. What did that damn man want at this ungodly hour? Frankly, he was shocked he wasn’t asleep; usually Hux was the only one awake at this hour. The knocking persisted until Hux finally snapped.

He stormed over to the door and pounded the release, watching as the metal door retracted at an intense speed to reveal the cloaked Knight.

“What is it Ren?” he hissed angrily.

The man stood silent in his doorway, tilting the bucket he called a helmet slightly as if examining the General who was glaring at him so passionately. Hux was too tired to care about sealing off his emotions – he was off duty anyways.

“I would say General that your troops are certainly not up to the standards you so like to believe.” Ren stated after a few seconds of tense silence. Hux remembered the words the two of them had exchanged what felt like ages ago – ages before this damned mess he was in. His first thoughts were why was Ren even here stating this? He and Ren had already discussed this failure of the turncoat trooper earlier today and Hux remembers clearly winning that verbal battle as well.

Hux’s eyes flashed dangerously as he realized why the hell Kylo was here. _Petty Knight_ , his mind mocked. He let his control slip for a split second, letting his expression turn deadly, and he sucked in a breath as he tried to supress his urge to punch the man in front of him in the face. Kylo Ren, Lord of the Knights of Ren, had come to his quarters at this ungodly hour just to have the _last word_? Hux’s hands clenched into fists by his side as he tried to quell the rage unfurling inside of him.

“And I would say that your comments are entirely unnecessary as we have _already_ discussed this issue Ren.” Hux said vehemently, his words turning to icy and deadly daggers. He glared at the Knight, trying to ignore the fatigue that was slowly crawling up his spine and dulling his senses in the slightest. Hells, he needed sleep.

Hux watched as Ren’s left hand twitched upwards and Hux was fully expecting the man to hit him or something worse. He seemed to watch him move with resigned indifference – too exhausted to move or retaliate. He had put all of his effort into fixing Kylo with a deadly glare and creating poisonous words so now he was left mentally and physically drained as, what he expected to be, Kylo’s fist was soaring towards him.

He braced himself for the feeling of pain, for some sharp acute feeling that dulled his senses and sent him into blackness, but rather he felt something touch his head. Correction: touch his hair. The eyes he’d let slip closed so he did not have to view the punch he had been expecting flew open quickly and stared at the Knight that was now stalking away at an outrageous speed. Had Kylo Ren just _patted him on the head_?

This was a delusion. It had to be _. You are too sleep deprived Hux; nothing happened he just walked away_ _and your tired mind imagined some faint touch_ , his mind hissed at him as he slammed the release on his door again watching it slide closed. He kept telling himself that as he undressed, he kept telling himself that as he slipped under the cool covers of his bed, he kept telling himself that as he tossed and turned before falling into a fitful sleep. As he kept telling himself that, he remembered the feeling of gloves in his hair, leaving small trails of fire on his scalp, and the gentle words garbled from years past before the darkness of sleep absorbed him.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ [ .o0o. ] ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

“Ren” the General snarled as the shuttle he was aboard careened almost dangerously. Everything had gone to hell within the matter of a few hours and he could feel his resolve crumbling away as the planet below him did. Luckily, they had found the injured Lord Ren in the snow in record time and Hux watched as he was hauled on board by two Stormtroopers. Hux gritted his teeth at the bloodied mess that was now Kylo Ren.

A nasty scar was wrought across the young man’s features, but that was not the worst of his injuries. His side was bleeding profusely from a wound that probably could only be described as fatal. How this Knight had managed to survive he did not know, but he connected it to the mystic Force in which the Knight was linked to.

“Careful.” he hissed angrily as one of the troopers almost dropped Kylo on his side. Why the idea of Kylo falling on his injured side bothered Hux, he didn’t know, but what he did know was that he felt the unwilling pull of protectiveness ebb its way into his body. He felt himself gaining a sense of defensiveness for the injured Knight.

Their shuttled escaped the explosion of the planet by a hairs breadth and Hux let out a sigh of relief he didn’t know he was holding. Kylo was placed in the shuttle’s medbay almost instantly. He was being tended to by the two medical professionals Hux had snatched on his way to rescue the Knight and the idea of Ren being taken care of made Hux relax in the slightest. He talked to the pilot fervently, querying as to how long it would for them to regroup with the Finalizer and the rest of the fleet. They had just made the jump to hyperspace when Kylo awoke to wreak more havoc in Hux’s life.

He had been stopped midsentence, discussing the flight pattern of the shuttle, when a loud and inhuman scream came from the medbay causing Hux’s head to whip around at an insane speed. He glanced back at the pilot and they both shared the smallest of nods before Hux strode off into the ship to discover what exactly was going on with the injured Knight of Ren. The catastrophe Hux had walked into was just as he had expected and it was so very Ren.

The assistant med droid had been thrown into the wall, medical equipment littered the floor, and the two medics were cowered in a corner trying to avoid whatever the hell Kylo was throwing around using his force abilities. After pausing for the briefest of seconds, Hux plunged into the chaotic room with his head held high and the regal posture of a First Order General.

“Enough!” he snapped, his lips pulling along his teeth to create a feral sort of sneer. Ren’s attention was on the General in the matter of seconds and Hux did not flinch as items went hurling towards him. He sidestepped a bottle of antiseptic and a package of bacta patches, continuing his march forward – his eyes never leaving Ren’s. He ignored the faint pain in his shoulder when the tray usually used to hold the medical knives clipped him in the shoulder; _that will bruise_ , he thought to himself grimly.

Before he knew it he was standing right beside the Knight. Clamping a hand on Kylo’s left wrist, he slammed him back to the bed and sneered at the small yelp of pain the Knight made. He had no empathy for causing the Knight pain to get him under control – he brought this on himself after all. Everything that was suspended in midair paused for the briefest of seconds before slamming back to the ground ungracefully. The clattering of knives, bottles, and equipment seemed to snap the trembling medics back into action as they hurriedly cleaned up.

Hux smirked in pride at their quick return to action. As it seemed he grabbed some of the better medics the Finalizer had to offer; most were rather skittish when it came to Ren, but these two pushed through that to get back to work when the man was under control and that was a rare thing to find. Hux expression turned sardonic as that distant thought caused him frustration. He returned his attention to Ren when the man made a soft sound that sounded caught between a moan and a sob. He squeezed the man’s wrist a little tighter before releasing him.

“Get a hold of yourself you fool.” Hux hissed, examining the younger man’s face for the first time. He hadn’t ever seen Kylo without his helmet until now and he wondered how his face must have looked without the scar that twisted across his skin. He looked familiar and something deep in his brain tried to skitter to the surface, but he couldn’t place the face and the skittering slowly died away as the heaviness of the situation hurtled towards him. He had lost Starkiller, Ren was injured, and they weren’t exactly sure what would be awaiting them once they escaped this hyperspace jump. His previous thought that everything had gone to hell felt like a huge understatement. There wasn’t strong enough words in the universe that would describe this immense failure.

“Sir?”

Hux turned to face the petite female medical assistant who was peering up at him, he grey eyes wide with something like respect or fear.

“Yes?” he snapped, exhaustion making his words more barbed than intended. He watched as she flinched in the slightest, but he was too exhausted to care.

“Um, I need you to move if I am to get to Lord Ren.” She stated in the barest of whispers, so quiet he almost missed her statements. Eyes widening slightly, he stepped away from the injured man and quickly vacated the area near Ren to let her step closer. He watched as they tended to the injured man who had thankfully calmed down.

“Put him under.” Hux stated. Both medics turned to glance at him, the petite one nodded furiously and the brown haired male moved to get the anesthesia. The mention of putting him under caused Kylo to move again and he started to protest weakly, all the while struggling to sit up. Hux sneered and stepped beside the petite medic to clamp a hand on Kylo’s left wrist yet again. This stopped the Knight’s weak struggling and he turned his head to look at Hux – eyelids fluttering and sweat gleaming on his brow.

“Kylo Ren, you are going to be put under anesthesia until we reach the _Finalizer_ whether you like it or not. I cannot have you going crazy here or you could end up ruining this shuttle and we could be blasted into space dust due to your antics.” Hux rattled off his reasoning with cold dispassion, slightly gleeful at his ability to prove his statements unhindered. It had been a while since the Knight hadn’t interjected and cut him off before he could finish his statements.

The Knight tensed visibly, but ended up nodding sharply and turned his head back to the roof – resigned to his fate. Hux nodded to the two medical professionals as they moved forwards to put the Knight under anesthesia and as he went to release his hold on Kylo’s wrist the Knight spoke up.

“No.” he rasped, the medic’s pausing. “Don’t go.”

His voice was raspy and worn from obvious pain and shouting, but Hux had to stop the erratic beat of his heart. Kylo’s voice was deep and rich and painstakingly familiar, but once again he could not make the connection and let the thought slip from his mind. Instead, he stepped forward once again and stood alongside the petite medic – towering over the reclined Kylo. The injured man moved slightly and his left hand gripped the sleeve of Hux’s uniform, bunching the usually impeccable fabric into a wrinkled mess. Something shifted in Hux’s heart and he sighed slightly, then detached Kylo’s left hand from his uniform and instead took it in his own. The medics paused at the display of what one would call affection, but one glare from the General sent them back to work again – this was hardly affection. Affection required gentle emotions like love, but all Hux felt for this man in the present moment was pity and slight annoyance.

“This may hurt a bit at first.” The male medic stated as he prepped Kylo for an IV. The Knight barked a laugh that sounded broken and hollow and Hux knew exactly why. He did not need mind reading powers to tell the pain Kylo was already feeling. His small laugh was his way of saying: “I don’t think that little prick of pain from the needle is going to be any worse than what I’ve already suffered.” As the medics inserted the IV, Hux looked away and instead examined the wounds Ren had taken and was pleased to find them already dealt with. Well the major ones anyways.

Soon, the room was filled with the sound of the Knight’s laboured, but slowly calming breaths and it wasn’t soon before the grip on Hux’s hand slackened until it finally let go and Ren’s arm drooped beside his sleeping form. Hux gingerly tucked the hand back onto the bed and paused to examine the resting Knight. His face looked softer, less worn, while he rested and Hux suddenly felt recognition spark through him like a strike of lightning.

His vision swam as he was pulled back into his past until his memory settled on the image of the boy he had delivered to the Supreme Leader all those years ago. He remembered his haunting parting words and his hand gripped the side of Kylo’s bed as he realized the young boy, _the young_ _Kylo_ , had been right. They did meet again.

“Sir?” the female medic questioned yet again.

He waved her off and stepped back so she could continue her work once again. As he watched the medics work around him he could not help but wonder, what did this all mean? If Hux hadn’t been a man of logic, he would have wondered if this was some sort of destiny. Hux swiftly left the medbay as the words of young Kylo were pulled into his mind by the force of the memories. His mind whispered the words and they caressed his mind gently:

_“Darkness and order,_

_Together we could be unbeatable.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This became ridiculously long ridiculously fast; I tend to go overboard writing wise, but dang I didn't expect this level of overboard. I haven't written a fic in like ages and I haven't written a Star Wars fic since I was uh like 12. I work unbetaed [ I don't have a beta reader is what I mean, I edit the story though ] so if you see any issues please let me know!
> 
> I hope you liked the first chapter. It's main purpose is to set up the connection between Hux and Ren and as you can see I have some headcanons for Hux. The fic was inspired by an art piece of my own creation (you know you are a nerd when) so you might recognize the darkness and order line I quote. Thanks for reading!


	2. Shadows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Fist, release, fist, release, breathe in, breathe out, don’t punch the bastard in front of you._

_“No light in the distance,_

_We were shadows holding on,”_

 

Hux paced the hallways of the _Finalizer_ like a man who had places to be but in reality he had nowhere to go. He walked the length of the ship twice – eyes sharp and alert – looking for any misgivings or things out of place. People practically flung themselves out of his way as he came stalking down the corridors and a smug smile of satisfaction wrought its way across his features upon viewing the display. It only lasted for the briefest of seconds before it was swallowed up into his neutral frown. 

He felt the slightest bit lost after the Starkiller had been rendered to space dust. His usual routine had been rewritten as he returned to his post as the commander of the _Finalizer_ ; he did not despise this, but he knew what was coming. He did not need force sensitivity to tell he was going to be removed from his position. No demotion had come since his debriefing with Snoke all those months ago, but he could feel it creeping up upon him like some proverbial shadow of death.

His words still held weight and he was happy for that at least. None of his men had lost faith in him despite his utterly fantastic failure. Well, it wasn’t his failure to claim alone. The annoying Knight of Ren deserved to share some of that glory as many events were caused thanks to his foolish bumbling. Hux’s expression was swallowed by a sneer as he could not help but curse the name of the damn Knight who had cost him everything. Where was he now? Not sharing in the suffering of the fallout of their monumental failure – oh no, he was off hell knows where training to strengthen his mystic voodoo powers.  

Something that felt very strongly like longing flitted through Hux and he crushed it with zeal. He would not allow himself to _miss_ the Lord of the Knights of Ren. No matter if the man had been a regrettably important cog in focusing Hux’s life; he would not allow himself to miss Kylo Ren. Hux’s mind turned against him as it pulled forward all the questions Hux had been trying to squash. Where was he now? Did he remember Hux from all those years ago? What even happened all those years ago? Who exactly was Kylo Ren?

 _He’s a damnable idiot_ , Hux hissed to himself, _and that’s all he will ever be_. Hux swiftly put a lid on his emotions and thoughts; kicking them back into the deep recess of his mind as he pulled forward more pressing thoughts. Like how long exactly did he have before he lost control of his ship? He did not wish to admit it, but he felt the smallest degree of sentiment for the powerful display of machine and power that the _Finalizer_ was. This ship had been with him and him alone, no one else had owned it prior to him, and this made him feel a sense of pride. The idea of handing the ship over to someone else made him slightly nauseous.

Letting himself sigh quietly, the General hastened his pace as he made his way back towards the bridge. These days he found his position upon the bridge the slightest bit suffocating and that probably had to do with the guest that was stationed there. _His replacement_. The young Admiral Saedrin had been stationed aboard his ship about two months ago and Hux knew why he had been placed here. Much like the older Admiral Saedrin, Hux was going to be relieved from his station and this young nephew of his predecessor was going to stand at the helm of the _Finalizer_. He smirked to himself at the irony of it all. He replaced an Admiral Saedrin and he was going to be replaced by an Admiral Saedrin. _It’s like the universe is laughing at me_ , Hux thought dryly.

Despite his irk at realizing he was going to be replaced, Hux did not despise the man who was slated to take his position. The young nephew of his former superior was an attentive man who seemed almost apologetic for having to take Hux’s ship out from under his feet. Admiral Qyn Saedrin looked startlingly similar to his uncle and Hux figured if the older Admiral Saedrin had been thrown back a few years he would look just as his young nephew did now. While their appearance was similar, their personalities were quite the opposite. While the older Admiral Saedrin was rather expressive, the younger Saedrin was rather closed and tended to keep his voice schooled into a cold neutrality. The only time the young Admiral Saedrin lightened up was when he slipped into a comfortable sort of sarcasm.

This was what allowed Hux to get along with the young Admiral who was slated to replace him. They both swapped sarcastic quips here and there which allowed them to relax into something similar to camaraderie. Hux realized, through meeting the nephew of his former superior, that the reason the older Admiral had been so close to the General was probably due to him having similar traits to his nephew. Upon further discussion with the young Admiral Saedrin, Hux had soon come to realize that the older Admiral felt something akin to fatherly love towards Hux. Despite himself, Hux found he was touched slightly that the former Admiral regarded him as something similar to family.

He had never really felt any sort of draw to the idea of family as his own experience with family relations was more or less an emotionless thing. The Hux family was anything but warm and loving, but Hux had never really desired anything more. He had believed that any sort of relations built on emotions would weigh you down – only recently had that thought shifted. Now he felt the weight of caring resting on his shoulders comfortably. Not that he would admit this though.

Upon stepping onto the bridge, Hux let his former thoughts drop away as he focused on keeping the _Finalizer_ running efficiently. He watched as his crew heeded his arrival with nods or salutes and Hux replied to them with a curt nod of his own. Admiral Saedrin the younger stood at attention when Hux stepped beside him and the General inclined his head as to tell him to relax. The young, blond man obliged and soon relaxed his stiff pose.

“All is functioning normally, sir.” Saedrin stated, his voice in its usual cool and clipped tone.

“Good, thank you Admiral.” Hux responded, eyes focused on the dusty planet they were slowly moving towards. Xirl was an ugly planet in the General’s eyes, but it was the home of the First Order so he had begrudgingly come to accept its ugliness. Even from this distance Hux could already imagine the looming towers of rock and the sleek buildings that seemed to stem from the surface like pervasive weeds. And the dust. The damned dust that was blown around wickedly and would get caught in your clothes, your hair, your eyes, and anywhere it could reach.

Hux had been here before, he had dropped off a certain young Sith Lord here all those years ago. He clamped down on that memory before it could resurface again and bring all those questions with it. More recently, he had visited this planet for debriefing with this Supreme Leader and he had also inhabited this planet at one point. He owned an apartment on the surface; in one of the tall buildings that glittered menacingly in the sun. It probably was covered in a thick layer of dust from lack of use by this point and the idea of returning to it to find it in such a dismal state made Hux grimace.

His reasons for returning to this planet were classified to the crew. They were under the impression they were only stopping in to collect some required resources, but in truth they had travelled here because Hux had been requested to visit the Supreme Leader. Usually Hux’s conversations with the Supreme Leader were via hologram and he had only ever spoken to the Supreme Leader face to face once. He remembered his first and only time speaking to Snoke. It had been after his monumental failure and when he had delivered Kylo Ren to Snoke in person that he had spoken to the grand Sith Lord face to face.

The man, if he could call him that, had been terrifying in both appearance and mannerism and Hux shuddered at the memory. Snoke had been furious with his failed General and Hux remembered how he had felt the crushing presence of Snoke’s rage against his brow – he had almost passed out. But the Supreme Leader had been merciful and had released his hold on the General before he could crumble into the inky blackness of his mind. Snoke had let him assume control of his ship once again, but now Hux figured his return to the _Finalizer_ had been like waving candy in front of a child. Snoke was giving Hux the taste of what he loved for only a brief few months before it would be wrenched from him. The reaction at Hux’s loss of both his pride and his favored ship would probably cause Snoke some sort of twisted joy – twisted joy Hux refused to give.

So when Snoke had required the General’s presence on Xirl, Hux had agreed but rather than taking just a small shuttle he decided to travel via the _Finalizer_ instead. His small act of defiance – if he could even call it that. Snoke never specified which mode of transportation he was to use to reach Xirl so Hux used that loophole to his advantage – he felt more comfortable on the hulking ship anyways.

“Hold this course.” Hux ordered the crew, he did not wait for assent before he turned his attention the Admiral beside him. “Admiral Saedrin and I have matters we need to discuss before we land.”

Turning on his heel, Hux strode off of the bridge with the Admiral trailing behind. Hux did not miss the quizzical look the younger man had given him before he had turned, but as Hux slipped into his office and turned to face the young man he noticed the confusion Saedrin held was carefully hidden behind his neutral expression. Hux sat behind his narrow and sleek desk and gestured to one of the stiff chairs that sat in front of the jet black piece of furniture – his silent way of telling the Admiral to sit. The man took a seat and leveled Hux with a cool blue eyed stare that was full of his curiosity and worry over the situation at hand.

“Admiral Saedrin, as you well know we are landing here to pick up supplies.” Hux stated, his voice soft but sharp. “But I am afraid that was just a front.”

“Sir?” Saedrin responded, one eyebrow cocking upwards in interest.

“I have business to attend on the surface.” Hux said evenly, leaning back in his chair slightly. “I am to meet with the Supreme Leader.”

Saedrin said nothing, rather he stared at Hux while his face flipped through various expressions – unsure which one to settle upon. He finally settled on one of cool indifference as he looked over at the General; his pale eyebrows slanted upwards slightly, hinting to Hux that he understood where this conversation was going. Hux sighed slightly and let himself slump his shoulders.

“I am assuming this will be my last trip on the _Finalizer_.” Hux rubbed his temples and closed his eyes, his elbows leaning on the desk in front of him and his posture hunched. While he did dislike showing any sort of lack of order, he let this small transgression slip as he felt no threat from the Admiral sitting in front of him – watching silently.

“You don’t mean to say--”

“Yes I mean to say what I say. Snoke will probably relieve me from duty; there would be no other reason for him to request me to visit him in person.” A dark chuckled escaped Hux as he returned to the regal posture he usually sported. Hux watched as the purple-blue eyes of the man in front of him turned steely.

“You aren’t assuming he is going to kill you?” the man asked, scowl slowly forming on his brow.

“What else will he do with me?” Hux asked, feeling exasperated all of a sudden. “I’ve failed him, he probably put me in charge of this ship for the last few months just to rip it away from me and watch me despair over that. Then he’d end me.”

The last words came out in a whisper. Hux did not like how they felt on his tongue and he felt the urge to wash the bitter taste they left behind with something to drink – preferably the alcoholic kind. He repressed that urge; getting drunk now would not solve anything.

“Hmm, I don’t think he’s going to end you sir.” The Admiral stated all the while tapping a finger on his chin thoughtfully. “You are too valuable.”

A pained smile stretched across Hux’s lips.

“Well I am glad one of us thinks that way.”

The Admiral snorted and shook his head at Hux’s response, lips drawing into a hard line.

“With all due respect sir, your ideas are beyond what any men in the Order can create. And while you may not know this, there are quite a few officers in the Order who respect you and think highly of you – despite your recent failure. If the Supreme Leader ended you then he would be dealing with some very irate officers who carry some significant weight in the Order.”

Hux watched the Admiral, head tilted slightly as Hux processed the information he was given. Scanning the younger man’s face, he found no trace of a lie between his orderly expression and after a few seconds of silence Hux allowed himself to smile wryly.

“Fine, I see your point, but despite all these facts you’ve presented I highly doubt I will be returning to command this ship. I most likely will be demoted or forced to focus on some meagre task as my punishment. I haven’t fully paid for my failure yet.”

The Admiral nodded sharply, even he could not deny the General’s statements. Hux leaned forward once again, elbows resting lightly on the shining surface of his desk and fingers interlacing together as he fixed his attention on the man in front of him.

“Now, I did not call you here to discuss my problems, I called you here to officially defer my control of this ship to you.” The Admiral looked taken aback slightly by this and he did not hide his shock as he blinked at the General. The young man opened his mouth to speak, but Hux cut him off before he could form any coherent noise. “I would rather give you the control myself rather than have the Supreme Leader rip it from me. If I relinquish control to you formally here then--”

“—you can take it back as it was deferred via your own orders.” The Admiral finished, something like amusement twinkling in his dark blue eyes.

“Correct.”

“Genius move, sir.”

General Hux met the smirk that the man was shooting at him and nodded as he pulled out his datapad – the official documents already drawn up. He felt the tension ebb away from his body as the Admiral seemed to be fine with this course of action. Inclining his head slightly at the praise, the General slipped his datapad in the young man’s direction and allowed himself to smile wickedly. The Supreme Leader was surely going to get a few surprises today. 

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ [ .o0o. ] ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Hux stared up at the massive dais Snoke had chosen as his throne. It was a hulking thing that seemed to announce the immense power the man had and it also solidified his image of deadliness. It took Hux a lot of effort to not cringe at the sight of the creature who called himself Snoke. His face was twisted and scarred and his eyes were like sunken holes of darkness that seemed to absorb the light and at the present moment they were focused on Hux.

The General held his hands behind his back as he stood awaiting whatever news he was going to receive. He was expecting bad news, some sort of sly digs against his status. Hux knew he was probably going to be given some pointless task by the Supreme Leader, something the powerful man knew Hux would view as demeaning, but he had not expected the task he was given.

“You are to join Ren and fulfill missions I will give to you.” The Supreme Leader had stated. There had been no greeting, no chance for it, the man had gotten right to business. It took the General a second to fully form a coherent sentence, his mind caught between greeting pleasantries, shock, and mild distaste. Then the confusion came. His eyebrows drew together in the faint hinting of a frown as he stared up at the Supreme Leader.

“Ren?” Hux asked, the words slipping through the chilly chamber and rebounding along the cavernous hall to return to the General’s ears. “Isn’t Lord Ren in the middle of training?”

An amber eyebrow rose slightly as Hux regained his bearings.

“Lord Ren has completed part of his training, yes, but these missions will help further his learning.” Snoke responded with bored disinterest, as if he found the General’s questions pointless and beneath him to answer. The General ground his teeth together to express his frustration in the most inconspicuous way possible. He wanted to question why he was supposed to go with the Knight, why he of all people was supposed to join him. He was as force-sensitive as a rock, or so Kylo had once told him when Hux had poked fun at his mystic force powers, so how ever would he be any sort of help to the Knight as he ran around doing _hell knows what_. He wanted to complain, he wanted to question why, but he couldn’t and he wouldn’t so instead he drew his mouth into a hard line and nodded sharply.

“Understood, I shall see to the task of aiding the Lord of the Knights of Ren.” Hux stated, with the slightest of bows.

Snoke hummed in response and leaned forward slightly, his long fingers steepling in front of him.

“All the necessary information has already been sent to your datapad.” Snoke said. “And you will no longer be needed on the _Finalizer_.”

And there it was. The removal of Hux’s final treasure. Rather than feeling rage, Hux just stiffened slightly and inclined his head forward as the faintest of smirks dusted across his features.

“I figured as much so I already took the necessary steps in deferring my power to Admiral Saedrin.” Hux watched as a flicker of something like annoyance flitted across Snoke’s marred features. This caused something like satisfaction to dance in Hux’s very core. He quickly buried it deep before the Supreme Leader could sense it; hiding it under his regret of losing command of the _Finalizer_.

“Prompt as always General.” Snoke stated after a few seconds of silence.

Hux bowed slightly at the praise that was thinly veiled by annoyance – as it seemed Snoke was aware of the protocols involving deferring power directly. Snoke knew Hux could regain his command of the hulking warship easily due to his official relinquishing of power. The only way Hux could officially lose command of the ship was if he retired or died. He tried not to think about the second option.

“Where shall I find Lord Ren?” Hux asked.

“Kylo Ren is already at the residence you hold on this planet.” Snoke replied, a slight smirk dusting the creatures features as he must have sensed Hux’s obvious annoyance. Hux did not like when people entered places that belonged to him such as his quarters or his living spaces and the idea of Kylo Ren entering the apartment he had used to inhabit as a young Lieutenant caused him quite the amount of irk. The General did not know what still resided in his old apartment and shuddered at the thought of Kylo rifling through his belongings like some Jawa trader.

“I see, well I shall not keeping him waiting then.” The General stated, the ghosting of a scowl slipping over his features.

“Yes, you are dismissed General.” Snoke said, giving the General permission to leave. And leave he did. He bowed to the Supreme Leader before turning on his heel and started his trek down the long corridor that led to the exit of Snoke’s chambers. He was pressing the release on the door when the Supreme Leader’s words stopped him.

“Oh and General,” Snoke called and Hux turned to meet the liquid black gaze of the Sith Master. “Don’t fail me this time.”

Hux inclined his head in acknowledgement before turning and pounding the door’s release with way more force than required.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ [ .o0o. ] ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Hux was still high strung when he pounded his entry code into his apartment door. He had not visited the towering building that he had used to inhabit in years, but he still knew his way to his apartment on the 23rd floor and he still knew the access code to his suite. The door hissed open as he entered the dimly lit room. His first move was to set the lights to 100% and he set a scowl on the black cloaked man who was currently sprawled across his couch in the most undignified manner.

Kylo Ren groaned as the light assaulted his eyes and the lights dimmed almost instantly as the Knight used the force to turn them back to 15%. Hux let out a snarl as he slammed the lights back to 100% and now he glared at Kylo; he was at his wits end.

“Don’t touch the damn lights.” Hux stated angrily. “This isn’t your apartment so you have no right to alter the lighting.”

The Knight grunted out something that was caught between a chuckle and a growl, but Hux could care less and he strode into his old bedroom with his great coat over his arm. He had shed the thing instantly after his meeting with Snoke as the cloying atmosphere of this damned planet had been practically suffocating him. Placing the coat on the bed, he frowned when he realized dust had managed to slip into the seams of his prized coat. He raked a hand through his hair. His hatred for this planet was growing by the second.

He glanced around his room and felt a wave of nostalgia hit him. He was hit by a wave of memories from his past. A younger him sitting in the small desk in the corner outlining battle plans, a younger him muffling his screams of joy in the bed pillows when he was upgraded to a Lieutenant status, a younger him packing his bags to board Admiral Saedrin’s ship. That was the last memory he had of this place. Him shutting off the lights, closing and locking the door, and then carrying his rather light suitcase towards the First Order spaceport where a shuttle was going to take him to the _Imperial I_ -class ship that would soon become his new temporary home.

Shaking his head out of his musings, Hux examined the contents of his room thoroughly and found they matched his memories pretty well. Nothing seemed out of place and he dispelled a sigh of relief – the Knight must have not touched anything. He paused over his old models of TIE fighters and the Death Star model he had put together in his seventeenth year. They were dusty, but he felt a swell of calmness touch him as he was pulled back to the days when his dreams of power had been but a small seed in his chest. He had spent the time building the ships and the super weapon trying to gain a better understanding of the tech that had gone into them. A young Hux had poured over the designs until he knew them like the back of his hand. Even now he was sure he could rattle off the schematics of the Death Star in his sleep.

“Why is everything in here so dusty?”

Hux almost jumped, he had forgotten about the hulking Knight that had been casually lounging on his couch. Well he was no longer on the couch. Now the Knight was in Hux’s room and was thumbing through his collection of books all on the topic of Imperial Military history. It took Hux a lot of effort to not push the man away from his prized collection. All the books were hard copies and extremely rare to find and they were the only things he had left of his father.

Brendol Hux senior had been an impassive and cold man whom Hux felt no real attachment too, but he did admire his father somewhere deep down. And while he did not particularly mourn his father’s death, he did find himself disliking someone else touching the only mementos he had left of the man. He paused when he remembered how he had handed Kylo a copy of his old Imperial Military history book all those years ago. Something in him softened slightly at the memory and he glanced at the cloaked Knight who was intently looking through his book collection; it was as if he hadn’t really changed. As it seemed Imperial Military history still intrigued him greatly.

“You can borrow one if you’d like rather than hovering over them and drooling like that.” Hux stated, his words were harsh but he felt if he offered lending a book to the Knight in a gentle way Hux would get even more rage directed towards him than if he offered in a harsh way. The Knight stiffened at Hux’s words and whirled around, a scowl evident on his scarred face. Hux’s thoughts stopped midsentence, he was looking into Kylo’s face, not a mask; his sea green eyes were staring directly into soft brown eyes that were presently filled with frustration.

“I am not drooling over them.” Kylo quipped, and Hux shrugged slightly but said nothing as it would most likely betray his frazzled thoughts. The questions he had buried deep inside of him came bubbling up to the surface and he could not help but wonder if the Knight remembered him. Hux eyed the Knight out of the corner of his eyes as Kylo returned to examining the vast expanse of books Hux kept. As it seemed, Ren was going to borrow a book after all as he quickly snatched one from the shelf and went stomping over to Hux’s bed and flopped down upon it.

“What are you doing?” Hux asked, fury rising to replace the confliction he had felt earlier.

“Reading.”

“ _Ren_.”

The Knight levelled a scowl in Hux’s direction, the expression contorted the scar the slid across his face and the General matched Kylo’s countenance.

“Why is this place so damned dusty?” the Knight asked, rather than respond to Hux’s rebuke.

“Because I haven’t been here in kriffing years.” Hux replied as he grimaced at the dust that was covering his armoire.

“Well, well, well, the oh-so-immaculate General cannot keep even a simple apartment clean.” Ren raised an eyebrow, a sneer taking form on his face as they slipped back into their usual banter. “I am surprised.”

The General glowered at the Knight that was now crushing his pillows and bedsheets.

“Well, some of us have better things to do like, oh I don’t know, design superweapons of mass destruction and actually _please_ the Supreme Leader.”

That had Kylo jumping off the bed and the book he had been holding was launched at Hux’s head. The General was glad for his military training as he managed to dodge the book, but the fact Kylo had thrown one of his precious books made a more potent rage spring forth in him. Before Hux could snap at the Knight, Kylo had pulled into Hux’s personal space and was now towering above him like he usually did as an attempt to frighten the General; he still hadn’t figured out it did not work.

“You failed just as I did on the Starkiller General, so I would not say you are pleasing the Supreme Leader. You are just as much of a failure as me.” Kylo hissed, and the General clenched his hands into fists. _Fist, release, fist, release, breathe in, breathe out, don’t punch the bastard in front of you_. He raised his eyes to meet Ren’s, moving slowly like a jungle cat did before it pounced on its prey.

“Well, well, well, the almighty Lord Ren admits that he is a failure. Finally you realized it, I am proud of you Ren – would you like a gold star to mark this monumental moment?”

The Knight growled, lips pulling back to reveal teeth in a feral way that caused a tremor of fear to dance down Hux’s spine. Kylo moved even closer into Hux’s personal space and if Hux even moved forward in the slightest he figured he and the Knight’s lips would be touching.  He tried to ignore that fact, but he could feel the smallest of blushes starting at the base of his neck – thank all that was holy his uniform’s high collar obscured that.

“Don’t treat me like a child Hux. We are going to be stuck together on a ship for the next little while and we wouldn’t want anything _unfortunate_ happening to you.”

 _Ah, so Ren was aware of Snoke’s plans_ , Hux thought to himself.

“Is that a threat Ren?” The General snorted. “You could never kill me; Snoke would be furious.”

And apparently many others would be as well; if Admiral Saedrin’s words could be trusted that is. The Knight raised an ebony eyebrow.

“I think in the light of your recent failures he would not mind, in fact he might be grateful I did the job for him.”

Hux’s pulse quickened as rage exploded through him like a rocket. He no longer could contain his urge to hit the Knight in front of him and he retaliated by pushing Kylo away from him – their closeness no longer tolerable.

“Out.” He hissed, eyes meeting Kylo’s. The storm raging on the surface of his sea green iris’s reflected back to him in via Kylo’s eyes.

“What is the matter Hux, did I strike a nerve?” The Knight was smirking at him, _smirking_! Hux wanted to throttle him, but he reigned those thoughts in and instead put all of his rage into his expression. A small flicker of satisfaction flitted through Hux as he watched Ren falter at the sight of his stormy expression.

“I said _get out_!”

Hux could almost feel the electricity that was building on the surface of his skin, his anger taking form. The Knight stood silent for a few seconds before he turned sharply and left the room; collecting the book he had thrown at Hux by using the force to call it to his hands. Hux watched him leave and when the Knight was out the door Hux slammed it closed behind him. Resting his head against the wall, the General loosed a shaky breath in a vain attempt to soothe his rage.

One thing was for sure: Hux did not give a damn over the fact he had known the Knight in the past, he still hated him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cannot name chapters it's confirmed. Alt title was "And It Begins". Much creative, such words; as you can tell I am not skilled in the title game. A shorter chapter (compared to the first chapter lol). Don't worry the recurring Saedrin's are only being used as plot initiators and such. 
> 
> Anyhow I lurk on [tumblr](http://theriseofthefirstorder.tumblr.com/) if you want to find me and say hi, but I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Also start of the chapter quote is from Fortress by Illenium feat. Joni Fatora.  
> 22/04/2016 - edited opening song lyrics & chapter title


	3. Fragments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Oh this mission was getting worse by the minute._

_“All the things I resisted,_

_Now far from gone,”_

_“Control it!”_

_Brendol Hux the first was staring down at his young son and the telltale signs of anger glittered in his eyes. A young Hux looked up at his father with a beseeching expression that was reflected back to him via his father’s harsh gaze._

_“I am trying Father, but it’s not easy!” The young boy stuck out his lower lip in a pout while his eyebrows drew together in a frown. This earned a huff from the older man. His hands were clenched into fists at his sides and a young Brendol Hux II marvelled at how the taunt leather of his father’s gloves could stretch like that. Brendol Hux senior removed his attention from his son and stalked around the room to return to his seat behind his expansive desk; whenever he did that Hux felt less like his son and more like a nameless cadet._

_“You must control it, if you don’t I will remove you from the program. For now, I will put you on temporary leave until you have fixed this issue.” Brendol Hux I’s words were not shouted or brought forth in a harsh manner, but they were heavy with honesty and this caused a young Hux to choke on the words he was going to say._

_“You can’t—you don’t seriously—no!” His words were garbled and his expression was aghast, but Brendol Hux senior did not flinch and continued to stare down his young son. Hux felt something sink deep in his stomach and he came to the conclusion he did not like that emotion. Futility. He was trying to control what his father had asked him to control; he was locking it away deep in his mind – behind doors of steel and stone – but nothing was working. It continued to sneak around his defenses and surge forward when he was training with the other cadets._

_Today, there had been yet another incident, and Hux junior was frustrated by this. He hadn’t had any issues for the past four months, but the small slip up today had wrenched him from his father’s good graces. Brendol Hux senior did not like Hux’s complications in the least. He did not accept people who were compromised like Hux into his newly minted Academy, but Hux was his son and he was also supposed to be supressing that weird ability he had that continued to emerge when he least expected it. Hux did not even know what he was trying to stop from leaking out of his head all he knew was that it was bad and his father wanted him to stop it – whatever it was._

_“If you don’t like the threat, then deal with it. Control it and let me know when you have. Then I will let you rejoin your comrades.” Brendol Hux I stated, his words sharp and clipped and not fatherly in the slightest. He then turned his attention back to the papers that were sitting on his desk; an informal dismissal. Young Hux stiffened and saluted before he exited his father’s office. The older man had just waved off his son’s salute with his right hand, eyes never leaving the papers in front of him, and Hux had accepted that because what else was he to say?_

_The door clicked closed behind him and as a young Hux strode to his quarters he could not help but feel a steely sense of determination rise up from the futility he had felt earlier. He would conquer this and make his father proud; make him acknowledge Hux’s skill. He would purge this defect and become the strong man his father had wanted._

_Once he was alone in his room, he sat on his bed, closed his eyes, and entered the deepest recesses of his mind like he had been taught by the doctor his father had sent him to all those years ago. Just like usual, he stood in the vastness of his compartmentalized mind and examined each and every perfectly placed box that held memories or thoughts. He found it instantly, the mental steel case that held the defect. It was rattling about in his head, trying to fight its constraints, and Hux placed a hand on it as if to stop the sporadic movements._

_It stilled for a brief few seconds before something slipped out of the tightly sealed box and a tendril of pure darkness wrapped itself around Hux’s wrist. He was not shocked by this as this had happened before. Usually, it would caresses his wrist gently and start whispering those seductive words thick with promises of great strength and power. Hux had long since learned how to turn those tantalizing words down and he had become immune to them over time. But this time, this time the inky tendril squeezed his wrist – hard. In his head, he gave a cry of shock and tried to frantically pull away from it as its grip tightened. Never had it attacked him like this._

_The whisperings soon started, but this time they were full of malice and rage. Betrayer, it shouted in his head as it attacked him. Hux soon found himself being pulled into the mass of darkness, however the steel case had opened he did not know but he could feel the darkness taking form around him and consuming him whole. Everything in his head was in disarray and some part of his subconscious was aware that his physical body was thrashing about trying to escape the mental attack._

_“Stop, stop, let go.” he was chanting in his head frantically as he tried to pull away, tried to escape. It just gripped him tighter. Just when futility took hold and he thought he was lost to the defect he had been trying to cure himself of, something warm and bright lanced through his chest and expanded outwards with rapid speed – causing the darkness to flee and dissolve. At first he had felt something akin to relief, until the warmth started to consume him whole and he could only watch as he became engulfed in flame._

_He was burning, everything was burning; his memories, the darkness, the chaos, the order – it was all absorbed in a never ending flame. He screamed and screamed until his throat was raw and he could no longer make a sound. Then all fell silent. It was the silence of death that seemed to permeate his mental senses. Only ashes remained of what once was. A strong wind desecrated his silent mental space and the breeze scooped up the ashes to form them into something new. A new Hux stood on shaky legs, reborn and unbroken and cured._

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ [ .o0o. ] ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Hux’s eyes flew open as the dream vanished and the sound of his alarm ripped through his fitful sleep. He surged upwards, knocking his datapad off of where it had been resting on his knees; shutting off the beeping alarm by disturbing the thing that had been making the sound. Hux’s eyes flitted around the room frantically and it took him a few seconds to understand where exactly he was. In a disoriented sleep haze, Hux realized he was in his old apartment and it took another few seconds for him to remember why he was here again. _Snoke, missions, Kylo_. Hux’s eyes snapped upwards to his still closed bedroom door and was pleased to find that the Knight had not disturbed his quarters while he had slept. Why Kylo possibly would have entered Hux’s room he did not know, but the fear had still been there.

It took the General a few minutes before he was calm once again. And it was when he had settled back into the still silence of the room that he analyzed his rather vivid dream. The memory he had dreamt of was not a fond one and a rather arbitrary one if he spoke honestly so he wondered why it had steeped into his sleeping thoughts. He had long since sealed away the nervous defect his father had so passionately wished for him to destroy so he did not see how the dream was at all relevant. He decided the dream had been a result of the nostalgia that had greeted him upon arriving here and slotted it away in the back of his mind once he was satisfied with his decision.

As it seemed, Hux had fallen asleep in the midst of reviewing the documents Snoke had sent to him. Usually he put his datapad away before he slept, but Hux must have dozed off before he had a chance to even do that. He stared down at the datapad that was now resting on the floor and debated moving to pick it up. Part of him wanted to just sink back into sleep and pretend he had not heard his alarm, but his ordered rigidity won and he slipped out from under the covers and into the cool air. He picked up his datapad, glancing at the time it displayed as he went, and gingerly placed it on his bedside table. He grimaced at the dust he had to clear off of the table before he rendered it suitable for his datapad.

Deftly, he changed into his uniform and out of his usual sleeping garb which consisted of an undershirt and boxer briefs. It only took him a few minutes of changing before he was slipping out of the bedroom and into the living area. He had grabbed his datapad off of the bedside table before he had left his room as well; Hux was hoping to get some answers out of the Knight of Ren that was currently dozing on his couch. The sheer size of the Knight overpowered the couch and he looked like a large dog trying to sleep on a small bed. Once again, Hux found himself admiring the peace found in the man’s sleeping face. It took him back a few years just like it had on that cramped shuttle all those months ago.

Hux found himself tempted to ask about the Knight’s memories of him, but he found himself crushing those thoughts. No, he did not need to dig up the past and shatter this relationship he had with the Knight – if he could even call it a relationship. Somehow, Hux figured dragging up the dregs of Kylo’s past would just make the Knight even more angry than usual and frankly Hux did not need that. Especially since the anger would undoubtedly be heaped on him and the only thing worse than working with an angry Ren was working with a Ren that was angry at you. Hux cleared away his thoughts before deciding to wake the Knight.

“Ren!” Hux snapped loudly and he watched as the Knight surged forwards from shock at being awoken so loudly and went tumbling onto the floor; his jerky movements too much for the small couch to handle. Hux had to step back slightly to avoid his feet being crushed by the bulky man as he fell to the floor and the faintest of amused smiles touched the General’s features. It was crushed when Kylo grabbed Hux’s left leg and pulled him down with him.

“What the--” was all he was able to choke out before he collapsed on the Knight, his datapad falling to the floor for the second time this morning. Hux found himself splayed out across the Knight’s (rather broad) chest, his face smashed unceremoniously into the rough fabric of Ren’s usual black robes. The fabric stifled any noises of protest the General made and it was not until he found his bearings again was he able to properly curse the Knight’s name. Pushing himself up, Hux leveled a scowl at the Knight’s chest; he refused to look up, worried the Knight would see the telltale signs of pink that tipped his ears.

“Kriff Ren, what the hell do you think you are doing?” Rather than responding, the Knight chuckled to himself – obviously content with the annoyance he had caused. Hux froze as he listened to the noise. Something burned in his chest, something he tried to bury but it was fighting his usual emotional repression. Eventually, his ability to reign in his emotions won the fight against whatever the hell was blooming in his chest and the feeling slowly subsided. He let his frustration resurface and used it as a shield against whatever the Knight was doing to him.

Snatching up his datapad, Hux pulled himself upwards and took a seat on the now Kylo-less couch. His eyes fixating on the datapad as he pulled open the information Snoke had sent him the night prior and he refused to let his eyes leave the glowing screen lest Kylo see whatever emotion he had hidden deep within himself in his eyes. He was aware Kylo was watching him from where he still lay on the floor, but Hux pointedly ignored the gaze the Knight was sending his way.

Hux found himself being absorbed in the information Snoke had sent him. He had glanced over the report last night, but sleep had stolen away his consciousness before he had reached the second page. Vaguely, he remembered something about intelligence gathering and incognito missions, but that was all he had retained from last night’s reading. If he had been on duty, he would have cursed himself mentally for his lack of memorization, but he was not on duty – he was stuck on Xirl with a man he hated. Or so he liked to tell himself.

For a second, his mind lingered on the _Finalizer_ and he wondered if Admiral Saedrin was taking care of his ship. He hoped so. Scowling to himself, he forced his attention back to the lengthy document outlining his most recent assignment. He stole a glance at Ren who was now dozing softly on the floor like nothing else in the world mattered and sighed aloud – correction: _their_ most recent assignment.

As Hux continued to sift through the documents, he found his scowl started deepening as he uncovered what exactly they were supposed to be doing. Snoke had decided to send them on undercover missions which meant no formal military attire or any fancy clothes for that matter. As it seemed, they were to assume the guise of smugglers so they could slip into various societies unknown and Hux grimaced upon imagining the outfit he would have to don. This mission was sounding worse and worse by the minute. And that wasn’t even the best part. The best part was there was no map of areas they were to cover nor any real explanation as to what intelligence they were supposed to collect.

“What the actual kriff.” Hux hissed as he stared at his datapad screen, his anger rising. For the second time today, Hux heard the Knight chuckled and for the second time today he felt his heart seize up painfully. Maybe he needed heart medication or something. He leveled his glare at the Knight who was still laying on the floor near his feet.

“What is so funny Ren?” Hux snapped.

The tall man shrugged and sat up, meeting Hux’s gaze.

“I just find it amusing how your biggest quarrel with this whole endeavor is that you have to wear civilian clothes.” The man stated, peering up at Hux from under thick eyelashes. Hux felt his teeth clench and his eyes narrowed as he stared at the mask less Knight.

“Keep out of my head Ren.” He hissed, low and deadly.

The Knight just sent him a feral smile.

“It’s not that easy General. You tend to think loudly when you are very frustrated. And now with my heightened ability I find it much harder to ignore your thoughts – especially when you are practically screaming about your irk.”

It took all of Hux’s self-control to not roll his eyes at Kylo, but he rolled his eyes mentally and hoped Kylo noticed. He must have because his eye’s narrowed in the slightest and the faint outline of a glare dusted his features as he watched Hux.

“Well as it seems you have not only strengthened your force abilities during your training with Snoke Ren, but your abilities to annoy me too. Congratulations, you are a new and improved Ren.”

Rather than rising to the bait, Kylo remained silent and seethed quietly to himself. Hux wondered why he did not snap back at him like he usually did, but he just figured this was some new and improved aspect of Kylo Ren. After a few minutes of silence, Hux rested his datapad on his knees and rubbed his temples as if to dispel the tension in his forehead.

“Can you please explain to me how we are to know what our destination is when we partake in these missions? And what intelligence we are supposed to collect?” Hux asked, looking over at Kylo who was pointedly looking at the décor of Hux’s old apartment rather than him. The Knight was silent for a good few minutes and just when Hux figured he had ignored him he spoke.

“Snoke has already notified me of our destinations and the purpose of our missions.” Kylo stated, examining the weird art Hux had been given as a house warming gift years ago by his late uncle. 

“Ah, and why am I not privy to this knowledge?” Hux questioned, one eyebrow arching upwards in disbelief.

“Because Snoke doesn’t see it fit you know.” Kylo replied simply, as if Hux was stupid for even asking that question. This caused another spike of rage to burrow itself in Hux’s heart – now he was really disliking the sound of these missions. He forced the rage down and let calmness consume him before he continued his questioning.

“What about our mode of transportation? I am assuming we cannot just cruise across the galaxy in a First Order shuttle or heaven forbid your _Upsilon_ -class monstrosity.”

Yes, Hux had laced the comment with venom and sarcasm, and yes, he had been hoping the dig would aid in gaining him Kylo’s attention, but he had not been expecting the mischievous smile that Kylo had directed at him. The corners of his eyes crinkled with unmasked and twisted delight as he looked up at the General from his sitting position.

“Oh you will be in for a real treat General.” Kylo’s voice was thick with dark pleasure as his eyes were filled with mocking laughter. “If you hate the idea of civilian clothes than the ship will make you want to gag I assure you.”

Hux met Kylo’s gaze evenly and repressed the shudder he felt trying to claw its way along his spine. Oh this mission was getting worse by the minute.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ [ .o0o. ] ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Kylo was right, the ship was an eyesore and made Hux want to upend his lunch into the nearest trash compactor. But of course he didn’t because that would be wholly unprofessional. So he just grimaced as he examined the well-worn ship that sat in an unidentified docking bay in the major spaceport on Xirl. Kylo had just smirked at Hux as his face had lost all color and the Knight must have sensed his distaste of the ugly ship.

It was a lumbering thing that looked like some child had taken it apart and pieced it together with non-matching parts. He wondered where Kylo had acquired the ship. The Knight had all but proudly admitted he found the ship himself over breakfast and Hux knew the Knight had been saying that in hopes to annoy him. Well his scheme had worked because Hux felt the urge to wrap his hands around Ren’s neck and throttle him for choosing such an eyesore of a ship.

He begrudgingly followed after Kylo as he boarded the ship and once inside Hux found his dislike for the ship slipping away. The interior of the ship did not match the exterior at all. Where the exterior of the ship was all hard lines and mismatched parts, the interior was sleek metal and top of the line finishes reminding Hux of luxury shuttles he had been on as a child. The damned ship was one big paradox.

“Where, in the seven circles of hell, did you find a ship like this?” Hux asked aloud, running a gloved hand along in the sleek metal interior.

Kylo Ren shrugged in one lithe movement as he continued deeper into the ship.

“I 'borrowed’ it from the Guavian Death Gang.”

“Are you stupid!? How did you get away with that?!” Hux blanched, letting his cool persona slip and let shock dance across his features. Even he knew how dangerous the Guavian Death Gang was and they were not the type of people to be messed with. How Kylo Ren had managed to steal a ship from them baffled Hux and he was intensely curious as to how he had gotten away with such a feat.

Kylo seemed to be pleased with Hux’s response because he sent a smirk over his shoulder for the General to catch.

“Well the ship did not always look this ugly on the outside. And I changed the identification code so it cannot be traced. Let’s just say there is a Guavian Death Gang squad that was reported to have crashed spectacularly somewhere in the Tatoo system.”

Hux was silent for the longest time as he processed this information. He had to begrudgingly admit Kylo Ren did have his moments of brilliance. Not just anyone could pull off a stunt like that and he wondered if the stealing of the ship had been some part of his training with Snoke.

“Anyhow, back to the ship, while it looks like any retrofitted smugglers ship, the outer shell is actually made of top of the line materials that were designed to look rather beat up. All the guns are top notch and the shields almost rival the _Finalizer_ ’s in strength.” Kylo paused as they reached the cockpit of the ship, it was a squashed narrow thing that was almost completely encased in sturdy looking transparisteel.  “And the controls are as smooth as any First Order craft you would find.”

Kylo seemed to be brimming with pride as he introduced the ship to Hux. It was as if he had designed it himself and that thought caused Hux to pause – maybe the Knight _had_ made the upgrades to the ship.

“Ren did you…did you have a hand in the upgrades done to this ship?”

The Knight shrugged as he toyed with the launch controls absentmindedly.

“Snoke let me design all of the upgrades myself. It was…ah…training of sorts.” The Knight fell silent and refused to mention anything more on the subject. Hux moved past this, if he did not want to share the exact details of his training that did not bother Hux – it was not as if he deserved to know the details anyways. While he wished to know, just to prove to himself he was still worthy of Snoke’s private knowledge, he did not press the matter and rather focused on fully taking in the marvels of the ship.

“As it seems you are more of a low life than I thought. Are you sure you aren’t a smuggler?” Hux did not particularly mean his words, but he found himself slightly disgusted at how much respect Kylo had drawn up inside of him for his skills at designing ships. He did not want the Knight to know how impressed he was with his skill so hiding it beneath annoyance was the best way to go.

Kylo’s expression drew into a livid scowl and he shot Hux a dangerous glare. Hux was surprised to find not just rage hiding in the Knight’s brown eyes, but sadness and regret lurked there as well.

“Don’t ever call me that.”

Hux cocked an eyebrow at the Knight, but said nothing more. As it seemed the smuggler crack had struck a vein with the younger man; why, he was not sure. Hux shrugged gracefully and turned to re-enter the bowels of ship, not wanting to linger in the cockpit any longer than necessary lest he be reminded of why he was here again.

“Where are my quarters?” the General asked, looking at Kylo for a response. The younger man just grunted and swept past Hux – leading him towards the center of the ship.

They entered an open area that seemed to be a makeshift lounge. A table sat in the center, sunken low into the floor and surrounded by a circular, velvety, red, padded chairs that made a sort of donut shaped booth. There was a conservator tucked in the corner by some countertops and a beat up table that seemed to have been used as target practice more often than it had been used for eating off of. Some bunks were built into the walls and they were swathed in the same red fabric as the booth was – they looked like they had been well used. A refresher seemed to also be off of this room and Hux assumed this was the area the low ranking lackeys of the Guavian Death Gang members who had inhabited this ship frequented and called their own.

Hux had been so busy admiring the room, he had not realized Kylo had stopped by the junction of the corridor they were to enter and Hux almost ran right into his back. He stopped himself just in time and covered his embarrassment with a frown.

“Why did you stop?” Hux asked, putting on his best “I am annoyed” face.

“You seemed preoccupied.” The Knight responded. Hux felt a small blush creep up his neck, as it seemed Kylo had noticed his adamant ogling of the room.

“Shut up and just show me where my quarters are.” Hux muttered, trying to sound as frustrated as possible.

The Knight smirked, but said nothing in response and entered the corridor where the rooms were. He stopped in front of a door and punched in a key code which sent the door hissing open to reveal a rather spacious room. Hux stepped in after him and admired the space; taking note of the features of the room.

There was a small sitting area that greeted Hux when he first stepped in and there seemed to be a discarded game of sabacc sitting on the squat black table that was nestled in the middle of a circle of red adorned chairs. A small conservator was sitting in the corner and was stocked with what looked like liquor – Hux thanked the Maker for that small gift; he would surely be utilizing that feature of this room.

The bedroom was also rather well furnished. Everything seemed to be made of top of the line materials and Hux repressed his urge to test the quality of the bed – it looked so much better than the military standard mattress he had upon the _Finalizer_. A decently sized refresher was found behind a door and Hux found himself nodding approvingly.

“I am assuming your quarters are in this same area?” Hux queried when he rejoined the Knight who had remained in the sitting area. Kylo just raised an eyebrow at Hux.

“You are mistaken General if you think there is another bedroom on this ship. This is the _only_ sleeping quarters like this, the only other place to sleep is out in the common area we passed.”

“Ah, so you will be sleeping in the common area. I see.”

Kylo snorted.

“Once again you are mistaken General.”

Hux narrowed his eyes at the Knight.

“I asked you where my quarters were and you lead me here Ren. So obviously these will be my quarters.” Hux stated firmly.

Kylo met his flinty gaze with an equally harsh one.

“Good try General, but all of your things are already stored in the common area’s storage so that is where you will be sleeping.” Kylo responded.

“You don’t expect me to sleep out there like I am some common officer!” Hux spluttered, his rage surging forward and he felt the urge to punch Kylo Ren in his damn smirking face. “And things? What things? I have not moved anything to this ship yet!”

The Knight just continued to smirk and shook his head at the General’s anger. Hux found himself clenching his fists as Kylo continued to treat him like a petulant child.

“Everything you need is on board already General. I did not take you here so you could examine the ship and then move your items here as you so please. I am sure you did read the information Snoke sent you and I am sure you are aware we are pretending to be some no name smugglers so we cannot have you bringing along all of your First Order items. All the things you need to survive, such as clothes, toiletries, your new identification papers, and things of the like, have already been placed aboard the ship and they match with your new identity.” Kylo shook his head once again. “It’s as if you’ve never spent one day out in the field as a spy General.”

That was a low blow and both of them knew it, but Hux did not rise to the obvious challenge in the Knight’s gaze. He just scoffed.

“And you have been on undercover missions Ren?” Hux sneered.

“Of course General, how do you think so many of those senators who were roadblocks to the First Order’s goals died in the first place? You don’t think they just up and died of their own accord?”

Kylo was mocking him now, how pleasant. He let out a low growl and stomped out of the room, returning to the open common room which was now supposed to be his sleeping quarters. He really wanted to kick something right now, but he denied himself the urge as that would be a victory for Kylo and indulging the Knight any more than he already was would definitely end badly for him.

“Fine! I will accept this dingy area as my sleeping quarters, but you may not enter it after 2000 hours you hear me Ren!” The General let himself raise his voice to express his rage.

“Have it your way General,” The Knight stated as he slunk out of the luxurious rooms that had been denied to Hux. “We leave in one standard hour so I would advise you dress in your proper robes and review your new alias so you can assume the proper identity that has been given to you.”

And with that said, Kylo Ren ducked back into his rooms and the door slid shut behind him – leaving Hux alone in the rather spacious common area. Hux glanced around the expansive room and found his fury returning when he realized the Knight had not informed him as to _where_ exactly in the room his new belongings had been stored. This mission was going to be terrible indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still cannot come up with chapter titles and maybe one day I won't upload things late at night. Don't worry Hux and Kylo will kiss their feelings out soon ~~I hope //shot~~. Kylo is more like his dad than he will probably admit. 
> 
> Quote at the start from Fortress by Illenium feat. Joni Fatora (just fyi all the opening quotes are from this song).  
> 22/04/2016 - edited opening quote and chapter title


End file.
